The diversity of advanced ceramics
Whether in the office, in manufacturing or in other areas: Technical ceramics are in numerous things, and everywhere the products perform at their best. In areas where other materials quickly reach their limits, technical ceramics and their properties play an indispensable role. Under the following conditions, it reliably performs the tasks assigned to it, from industrial production to high-tech applications:
extreme temperatures
enormous loads
electrical stress
Biocompatible implants in the human body
Very high compressive strengths
Very high wear resistance
Very low densities of all ceramics compared to metals
Advanced ceramics made of aluminum oxide
Aluminiumoxid mit der chemischen Formel Al2O3 wird aufgrund seiner Eigenschaften und der guten Verfügbarkeit sehr häufig eingesetzt, um daraus hochmoderne Keramikbauteile herzustellen. Dabei wird die Keramik in verschiedenen Modifikationen genutzt.
Eigenschaften Aluminiumoxid
This highly advanced material offers a wide range of applications in industry, medicine and the manufacture of electrical/electronic devices and components, among others.
It has a very pronounced mechanical resistance to high temperatures. Without a mechanical load, the application temperature can range from 1000 to 1500 °C.
Furthermore, the material has good thermal conductivity. Values of 20 to 30 W/mK are achieved here.
Alumina is characterized by a high hardness of 15 to 19 Gpa.
The mechanical strength ranges from approx. 300 to 630 MPa. The compressive strength of 2000 to 4000 MPa speaks for itself.
Thanks to its high electrical resistance, this technical ceramic is ideally suited as an insulator in the electrical sector.
The high-tech material is very resistant to mechanical stresses, with very little wear.
With its high resistance to corrosion, the technical ceramic made of aluminum oxide can also be used under difficult conditions over a long period of time.
Good sliding properties predestine the material for the manufacture of plain bearings or similar products that require these conditions.
Good biocompatibility and food compatibility also ensure a wide range of applications in sensitive areas such as medicine.
Alumina oxide production
Alumina is produced on a large scale from the mineral bauxite. An estimate of the world's bauxite deposits is around 20 billion tons. Approximately 100 million tons of the mineral are mined globally each year.
Australia has not only the largest deposits, but also the largest production volume. Sapphires and rubies are rare and certainly the most visually beautiful modifications of alumina. Both are known as gemstones and are used not only in the jewelry industry.
The so-called Bayer process is used for the production of aluminum oxide: In the first step, the contained iron oxides hematite and goethite have to be separated.
Alumina oxide application
Alumina is probably of greatest economic importance as an intermediate product in aluminum production. Worldwide, around 90% of production is used for this purpose.
Automotive industry
However, the possible applications of the material are much more varied. It is widely used as an adsorbent and as a catalyst carrier, as well as a catalyst itself in industry.
Electrical and electronics industry
The electrical industry also makes use of its advantages. As a technical ceramic, it is used in many areas. Thanks to its low dielectric loss factor, it lends itself to use as a reliable dielectric. Dielectrics are used, among other things, in capacitors, in high-frequency and high-voltage components, and in cables.
Medtech industry
In the field of medicine, technical ceramics have long since secured a firm place for themselves. The ball heads of hip implants are made of the versatile material. Dental medicine uses aluminum oxide to make fixed dental prostheses.
Textile industry
Alumina ceramics have been used and established in the textile industry for decades. It is impossible to imagine the thread manufacturing processes without it. Properties such as hardness, wear resistance, low manufacturing costs and polished surfaces play an essential role.
The areas of application are very broad, so we can only list a few.
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